Cartridge belt



May 4, 1943. c. E. BALLEISEN CARTRIDGE BELT Filed Oct. 6, 1941 Chum].ELS E. B11112 ilsen Patented May 4, 1943 CARTRIDGE BELT Charles E.Balleisen, Philadelphia, Pa. Application October 6, 1941, Serial No.413.81

. -50laims.

(Granted under the act of March 3,

amended April 30, 1928; 370 0. G. 75'!) The invention described hereinmay be manufactured and used by or for the Government for governmentalpurposes, without the payment to me of any royalty thereon.

This invention relates to a disintegrating cartridge belt intended foruse in feeding cartridges to amachine gun or automatic rifle.

It is an object of this invention to provide a flexible link belt fromwhich the cartridges may be removed either by a loading mechanism of thetype which extracts a cartridge from the belt on rearward movement ofthe breech and inserts it into the barr'elon fgrward movement, or by aloading mechanism of the type in which a car tridge is pushed throughthe link into the barrel to the front by some element ofthe breechmechanism.

It is a further object to provide a belt of this character in which thecartridges may be accurately positioned and firmly held.

Broadly, these objects have been accomplished by providing links adaptedto be joined by the cartridges in such a manner that the cartridge it-'self functions as a pintle, the links being individually so formed as toonly partially embrace the cartridges and to have positioning meansadapted to engage the shoulder formed adjacent the neck of the cartridgecase.

The specific nature 'of the invention as well as other objects andadvantages thereof will clearly appear from the description of apreferred embodiment as shown in the accompanyin drawing in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a single link formed in accordancewith my invention.

Figure 2 is a top plan view of a section of the belt with the cartridgesshown in broken lines.

Figure 3 is a bottom plan view similar to Fig. 2.

Figure 4 is an end elevation of a pair of links.

Figure 5 is a plan view of the blank from which the finished link may befabricated.

Referring to the drawing by characters of reference there is shown inFig. 5 a blank from which abelt link may be fabricated. This blank has aengaging ring, the axes of the tion to form a somewhat similar opencartridge rings being parallel laterally in'the region to preventinterference and the rings being oifset of the connecting strip 8 withadjacent link; when assembled into'a belt. The tongue H is bent inwardlyto engage the shoulder formed by the neck of a cartridge case wherebythe cartridge may be accurately posi-' tioned in the link. The finger I2is bentoutwardly and so formed as to be adapted to engage a similarshoulder formed by the neck of an ad-' jacent cartridge in anassembledbelt. The car-' tridge enga ing ring I is preferably formed to'have asmooth slidin r p on the body of the car'- tridge case while thecartridge eng ing ring I may have an. internal diameter slightly largerthan the exterior diameter of the cartridge body.

The links are assembled into a completed belt by placing the ring I ofone link between the ring I and the finger I: 'of an adjacent link andinserting a cartridge therethrough until the shoulder at the neck of thecartridge engages the tongue II and finger II of the adjacent links. Theofiset provided by the strip I allows the belt to be freely flexedwithout binding between adjacent links while the cartridge itself servesas a pintle. The assembly operation may be continued until a belt of thedesired length has been formed.

In the event of a strain tending to separate the cartrid es in the beltat their head end the engagement of the fingers I! with the necks of thecases will prevent deformation of the belt while if a strain is appliedtending to separate the point 7 of a cartridge from that of an adjacentcartridge the cases, being tapered somewhat toward the neck, will engageeach other at the head end to prevent deforming the belt in the regionof the connecting strip. l

Thislink may blamed in a fashion similar to the present standard link inan arm of the type of the conventional Browning machine gun wherein thelink will be engaged by the cartrldgelink stripper and the cartridgeremoved to the rear by an extractor attached to the breech mech-Whenthebeltisusedinagunofthetypeemplaying push through loading. thecartridge'will be pushed through thelinkto the front by some element ofthe breech mechanism. Thetapering shoulder at the neck of the the gen-,

erally tapering form of the cartridge case com bine to exert awedge-like action on the open cartridge engaging rings while llen'gaging the shoulder will bebent down out oflthe way as the cartridge ispushed therethrough,

The tendency to tilt the bullet end-o! the cartridge caused byengagement with the angel: ll maybeufliiledtoeleiltindirectingthetiporthe cu'tridge into the position in which it mayproperiyentertheberrelottheweepon.

Iclnim:

Lheertflflebelt iink comprising an open ring, ee'eoond openxing, a

strip i formedintegnllywitheeidringzendjoiningsnidrinninoibetrelstionviththeirueeinpenllel relntim, a. tongue inturei withseid'eeoond ring, nidtonguebeingedlntedtoenmetheahoulder adapted toengage the shoulder formed by the neck ofsaid nretmentioned cei'ti'ldge.

andofleettherefronneconnectingltripintegnl 3. A cartx idge beltlinkoomwiling e pair or open rings, on integral oonnecting memberJoiningsaidrlnteinofieetrelntion,ltongue9nqwithandextendingbetweeneeidringe,etongueonthei'orwerdedgeoieeidnretmentionedrmg' bent'inwerdly genernliy' towerd the at the 7 0Cseidflrstmentionedrinmende'flngerontheiorwerdedgeoieeidflretmentionedringbentoutwardlygenereily toward the axis of enideeoond v mentioned ring.

a. A blank for. cartridge mum compriling a eubetmtinlly not, genereilydeiiningbetweenthemeoonnectingportionjoiningeaidemeilerportionemnextemionononeoi seid smallerportione-proiectinggn-om an edge permeltoeeideloteendecutinaidutemlondefining two" sections each extending genenliytransverselytotl'ieeaidelote.

I. max.

CHARLIB

